Adventure Game Studio

The Shame of the Pack


Due to an invitation, Frank Lupitus is traveling from the big city of Vakhe to the remote parts of the country to visit his brother, Wolfgang (or 'Wolfie').
While living in Thorcut, Wolfgang hasn't actually made a good name for himself and by extension, to the whole Lupitus name.
Finally arriving at Thorcut Frank finds out that Wolfgang's house is taken over by a depraved fox, watching smut on the tv in his underwear. Wolfie is nowhere to be seen, and the fox tells Frank wild rumours about Wolfie's fate.
Wolfgang must me somewhere around, dead or alive. And if he's alive, he won't be much better off.



(https://i.imgur.com/WvpCPtB.png)(https://i.imgur.com/EgO1oNp.png)(https://i.imgur.com/jYIBhaj.png)(https://i.imgur.com/lWTrXaN.png) (https://i.imgur.com/Gj7bIs4.png)

The Shame of the Pack is a """traditional""" point & click game with a 320x200 resolution and a two-click interface.

DISCLAIMER: Storywise The Shame of the Pack is somewhat of a sequel to my first  game (from 2006) Big Bad Wolf and the Three little Pigs, but this game takes heavy 'artistic liberties' on the original story. I don't recommend playing the first part, and frankly, it is not necessary. My first game was made when I was a 16 year old teenager with stupid and 'edgy' views of what is fun and 'cool', The Shame of the Pack doesn't aim to take itself too seriously, but by no means is it a 'joke game'.

The playthrough will take about three to six hours. EDIT: Maybe a bit longer. Four to seven hours  with tips? Without any help - I don't even know.

Quality of life -features:
Make protagonist transparent with a right mouse click (not NEEDED in any puzzle, but helps some).
"Kill audio" -button in audio settings. Stops all audio that is playing, be it music, sfx or ambient.
  This was added due to an unpleasant bug encountered in one of the otherwise enjoyable "Broken windows" -chapters.

Contains:
Mild swearing and hostile behaviour (no f-bombs, c-words or other 'word crimes')
Mild sexually suggestive dialog, no nudity or anything of the sort
Violence (animal on animal, occasional but strong and bloody)

The game's page:
Download from here (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2804-the-shame-of-the-pack/)

I'm happy to finally release this one and to get rid of it, in a sense.  Almost eight years I've carried this burden.
I'm off to celebrate with a glass of sparkling wine.

All kinds of feedback (and bug reports) are welcome.


22.11.2024 NEWEST UPDATE 1.01. Release version had a game breaking bug near the end of the game! Get your "fix" now!
Thanks to Ian Aloser for spotting this one.

Seem good to play it.

I suggest adding your game to database.

Add Game (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/add/)

If you're unsure how proceed, contact support team or perhaps other members can assist you

Thanks for the message.

I've tried adding it (maybe three times now) and I'm not sure if the process fails or if the game has entered some kind of vetting process.
If it doesn't pop up in the "most recent games" soon, I'll try again.

Congratulations on the release! I'll make sure to play this game, too. It will be fun to revisit this world once again.  (nod)

The database seems to be up and running, so perhaps try to add it without anything else than the download link, then if that works, add more stuff and see where it fails. There's been some trouble with uploading images or embedding youtube videos.

Quote from: heltenjon on Thu 21/11/2024 21:59:28Congratulations on the release! I'll make sure to play this game, too. It will be fun to revisit this world once again.  (nod)

The database seems to be up and running, so perhaps try to add it without anything else than the download link, then if that works, add more stuff and see where it fails. There's been some trouble with uploading images or embedding youtube videos.

That did it,  thanks!

I've enjoyed the game so far.
Is there a way to skip the action minigames such as the

Spoiler

mole shooting

[close]

?
I have slow reflexes and my old hands can't move the mouse fast enough.
Thanks

Quote from: lanchong on Sun 01/12/2024 02:31:53I've enjoyed the game so far.
Is there a way to skip the action minigames such as the

Spoiler

mole shooting

[close]

?
I have slow reflexes and my old hands can't move the mouse fast enough.
Thanks

Thanks for the comment!
I did consider adding a

Spoiler

"kill all moles" -switch to the puzzle after 10 or some tries,

[close]

but left it out.
There is a "complete" guide to the mole thing in the hints discussion for the game.

But I'll add a way to bypass this minigame to the next version, in a couple of days.
I don't dare touch the game code too much, since it's pretty much held together with bubblegum and good intentions.

I finished this game and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

- I think the best part was the puzzles. There is such a range of puzzles from dialogue, to inventory, to closeup puzzles, an arcade-sequence puzzle that requires strategy and more. It's amazing how every part ties into another part of the multi-stage puzzles but despite this, I was able to complete the game with very few hints.

- The story was intriguing and the puzzles worked perfectly to pace the timing of the plot unfolding to make you want to keep playing. It's clear that a lot of extra effort was put into the plot to give it that extra polish.

- I had a LOT of laughs. I found the humour to be spot on

Overall, a really enjoyable experience

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 02/12/2024 15:51:53I finished this game and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

- I think the best part was the puzzles. There is such a range of puzzles from dialogue, to inventory, to closeup puzzles, an arcade-sequence puzzle that requires strategy and more. It's amazing how every part ties into another part of the multi-stage puzzles but despite this, I was able to complete the game with very few hints.

- The story was intriguing and the puzzles worked perfectly to pace the timing of the plot unfolding to make you want to keep playing. It's clear that a lot of extra effort was put into the plot to give it that extra polish.

- I had a LOT of laughs. I found the humour to be spot on

Overall, a really enjoyable experience

It's good to hear that the time I've put into this whole thing shows in some way.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the game!

Thank you!

Quote from: Sakkeus on Mon 02/12/2024 18:23:19It's good to hear that the time I've put into this whole thing shows in some way.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the game!

Thank you!

I was wondering:

Spoiler

At the end of the game, there are some decisions to make. Do different decisions affect the ending or do they basically land you in the same place?

[close]

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 02/12/2024 21:38:04

Quote from: Sakkeus on Mon 02/12/2024 18:23:19It's good to hear that the time I've put into this whole thing shows in some way.
I'm glad that you enjoyed the game!

Thank you!

I was wondering:

Spoiler

At the end of the game, there are some decisions to make. Do different decisions affect the ending or do they basically land you in the same place?

[close]

Spoiler

The only thing that affects the actual ending is whether you shoot the pig or not. There's two different endings

[close]

.

Quote from: Sakkeus on Tue 03/12/2024 05:20:23

Spoiler

The only thing that affects the actual ending is whether you shoot the pig or not. There's two different endings

[close]

.

Thanks!

Spoiler

I went back and played the other ending.

[close]

Quote from: lanchong on Sun 01/12/2024 02:31:53I've enjoyed the game so far.
Is there a way to skip the action minigames such as the

Spoiler

mole shooting

[close]

?
I have slow reflexes and my old hands can't move the mouse fast enough.
Thanks

Version 1.03 released. I made a "Slowdown" feature to the minigame. Press "S" on your keyboard to activate it, it slows the game down from the regular 40 cycles down to 10 cycles. Should be enough!

Unfortunately I can't restore saved games from the previous version. The game crashes with this error below.
If it's too hard to fix, don't worry about it and I'll try another time.


An internal error has occurred. Please note down the following information.
If the problem persists, contact the game author for support or post these details on the AGS Technical Forum.
(Engine version 3.6.1.29)

Error: Unable to restore the saved game.
Failed to restore the savegame component.
(#11) Script Modules, version 0, at offset 115507.
Saved content does not match current game.
Mismatching number of script module data, module #0 (game: 816, save: 808).

Quote from: lanchong on Thu 05/12/2024 03:45:38Unfortunately I can't restore saved games from the previous version. The game crashes with this error below.
If it's too hard to fix, don't worry about it and I'll try another time.


An internal error has occurred. Please note down the following information.
If the problem persists, contact the game author for support or post these details on the AGS Technical Forum.
(Engine version 3.6.1.29)

Error: Unable to restore the saved game.
Failed to restore the savegame component.
(#11) Script Modules, version 0, at offset 115507.
Saved content does not match current game.
Mismatching number of script module data, module #0 (game: 816, save: 808).

Damn. Maybe the "little addons" were too much, I don't think there's a way to fix that (with my rudimentary coding skills, at least). I hope you'll get the energy to play it again some time!

Quote from: Sakkeus on Thu 05/12/2024 09:45:54Damn. Maybe the "little addons" were too much, I don't think there's a way to fix that (with my rudimentary coding skills, at least). I hope you'll get the energy to play it again some time!

Did you add some more global variables or room variables? That's one of those things that make you restart from the beginning. Same if you add or remove View sprites.

QuoteDid you add some more global variables or room variables? That's one of those things that make you restart from the beginning. Same if you add or remove View sprites.

Yes, I added a couple of variables and a couple of sprites (not used in any view, though). Good to know what makes old saves unplayable.

This is really a very fun game to play. The comedy, overall (the story, the dialogues, the situations,...) is what made me smile all along.

The thing that made me go "Ah yeah.", were all those animations and the attention to visual details; the work you put into all of those. Great job.

Quote from: Rik_Vargard on Wed 18/12/2024 20:14:21This is really a very fun game to play. The comedy, overall (the story, the dialogues, the situations,...) is what made me smile all along.

The thing that made me go "Ah yeah.", were all those animations and the attention to visual details; the work you put into all of those. Great job.

Thanks for the comment (and the review), I really appreciate it!

Quote from: Sakkeus on Thu 21/11/2024 16:47:13DISCLAIMER: Storywise The Shame of the Pack is somewhat of a sequel to my first  game (from 2006) Big Bad Wolf and the Three little Pigs, but this game takes heavy 'artistic liberties' on the original story. I don't recommend playing the first part, and frankly, it is not necessary. My first game was made when I was a 16 year old teenager with stupid and 'edgy' views of what is fun and 'cool', The Shame of the Pack doesn't aim to take itself too seriously, but by no means is it a 'joke game'.

@Rik Vargard @Shadow1000 @lanchong @splat44
I'd like to say that the game 16-year old Sakkeus made actually is well worth playing. True, there are some "edgy" humour, but there are also some quite cool puzzles. I have no doubt this one is better (I hope to have the time to play it during the holidays), but despite what the author says and the one cup panel rating, I think there are some qualities to the first game. (But save often, because if I recall correctly, there are some bugs that make the game crash, too.)

Quote from: heltenjon on Thu 19/12/2024 22:31:32

Quote from: Sakkeus on Thu 21/11/2024 16:47:13DISCLAIMER: Storywise The Shame of the Pack is somewhat of a sequel to my first  game (from 2006) Big Bad Wolf and the Three little Pigs, but this game takes heavy 'artistic liberties' on the original story. I don't recommend playing the first part, and frankly, it is not necessary. My first game was made when I was a 16 year old teenager with stupid and 'edgy' views of what is fun and 'cool', The Shame of the Pack doesn't aim to take itself too seriously, but by no means is it a 'joke game'.

@Rik Vargard @Shadow1000 @lanchong @splat44
I'd like to say that the game 16-year old Sakkeus made actually is well worth playing. True, there are some "edgy" humour, but there are also some quite cool puzzles. I have no doubt this one is better (I hope to have the time to play it during the holidays), but despite what the author says and the one cup panel rating, I think there are some qualities to the first game. (But save often, because if I recall correctly, there are some bugs that make the game crash, too.)

This recommendation is to be taken with a (fist sized) grain of salt  ;)

Quote from: Sakkeus on Fri 20/12/2024 16:54:17This recommendation is to be taken with a (fist sized) grain of salt  ;)

That's why I only recommended it for those very special four selected people.  :-D

I played this yesterday and today. I must say that this game surpassed my expectations, even though the others gave rave reviews in this thread, it was even better than I thought. Surely this is one of the best AGS games of the year!

The screenshots do not really do the graphics justice. From the stills, it looks average, but in motion, it's another beast altogether. There are lots and lots of animations, closeups, cut scenes etc., and it didn't take long for me to escape into this world of talking animals (and some humans, too!).

What really sells the game, is the writing and puzzle design. These are very well integrated, fair and logical, and all seems like natural parts of the storytelling. The game is darkly funny, while dwelling on rather grotesque topics, like family honour, blood feuds, a casual business-as-usual approach to an alarming suicide rate and more. The humour won't be everyone's taste, I'm sure, but it's subtle and mature. I'm curious to how people will respond to this, if it's a northern thing or not. The puzzles are also varied, ranging from easy to quite complicated, and from inventory puzzles, pattern spotting, investigation, dialogue based, trading and exploration. And mini-games, too!

I don't think anyone else has commented on the music. I was curious about it, because I thought it was very good and fit the game very snugly. @Sakkeus - how many instruments do you play? Did you make the music to fit the game, or did the music come first? I now have some of those guitar runs playing in my head.  ;-D Have you considered making the music available as DLC?

As a fan of AAA games, this project doesn't look good. But I have no idea how to create games in general. I think it's hard work and requires creativity and dedication. I would love to try to play something like this project. I wish you success and inspiration. й

Quote from: heltenjon on Mon 30/12/2024 12:56:07I played this yesterday and today. I must say that this game surpassed my expectations, even though the others gave rave reviews in this thread, it was even better than I thought. Surely this is one of the best AGS games of the year!
--
I don't think anyone else has commented on the music. I was curious about it, because I thought it was very good and fit the game very snugly. @Sakkeus - how many instruments do you play? Did you make the music to fit the game, or did the music come first? I now have some of those guitar runs playing in my head.  ;-D Have you considered making the music available as DLC?

Thank you for your comment (and the review you posted). I'm humbled to receive such feedback and at the same time it makes me feel like this was worth the trouble.
I also appreciate your take on the music, that was a part that I really enjoyed.

And to answer your questions, I've dabbled with different guitars, banjo and electric bass on and off at varying rates for about 20 years. Piano and keys are something that I couldn't accompany myself with, but would very much like to. The music was tailor made to each room, I tried to make every track loop seamlessly, if needed. In the end I ended up switching couple of tracks with each other and even dropped one completely (there was supposed to be music in the last playable room of the game, but I decided to drop the track in favor of clarity).

@Carianey Yes, no A's found here! Thanks anyway :)

Wow, that was really something!
An excellent game. I'll write a proper review in the database but I'll just spill my thoughts directly after finishing the game in spoilers now:

Spoiler

The game manages to keep a weird balance between humour and (as heltonjon properly named it) being "uncomfortably serious". That boulder landing just right in front of the three made me laugh out loud, as did the mole puzzle when I finally found the solution. But then there is this other aspect of the game, dark, serious.
Having a not relatable main character can be difficult but you did it well. I think all the likeable NPCs made up for that.
The game touches ethical questions like is a wolf, being a wolf, allowed to eat those pigs? In what way is Frank different than his brother? He is also brutal, without respect but just hides it behind a mask of honour. I like that you let the player make that last decision in the game.

In the end I let the pig go. The reason was mainly the other brother (Khan). You did well with having his photo and paintings around that I cared for him. I played the other ending afterwards just to see it, but it was the expected outcome (only nicer scripted and animated than I expected). So I'm happy with my choice.

[close]

Now for the more technical aspects:
The graphics don't look like much on first sight of the screenshots, but when you just see the intro sequence with its animations and close ups, you know the game has more to offer than what it seems at first sight. The atmosphere in the cold, winter country side was consistent and really had me there. The music helped a lot, too.
The puzzles were amazing. Lots of them with multiple steps to reach the solution. My favourite being the

Spoiler

mole minigame. That was so clever! Another one that made me laugh was flipping the Open sign.

[close]

A few things I didn't like:

Spoiler

Sometimes the text was cut at unfortunate places in a sentence. I know that you have to split it somehow into chunks, but quite often it disturbed reading for me.

It seems you decided to cut down the scope of the game later on. What was that with the super secure store house? The sauna? The corrupt politicians? The Levonets family?

Some pixel hunt (stethoscope)

The final puzzle. I loved the idea of the mirror and how it reveals only parts of the room. So clever! But without the hint thread I wouldn't have even found the fuse box. I thought I have to check for a certain position where the pig is and then take the gun or walk to the door or similar.

I basically solved the highway construction before I even knew why I was doing it.

[close]

I also found a few bugs:

Spoiler

I got the photo from the pizza box twice (I think it happened when I revisited the house while the pastor had the photo to clean.

There is a small hotspot "Sally's cabin" on the map

In the final scene, they were walking over Sally as if it was nothing. Granted, they didn't really care for her, but a corpse is still not just a pattern on the carpet, they would have a hard time standing or walking there)

[close]

I haven't played such a long game in quite a while and I'm glad I did. It was worth every minute.

Quote from: cat on Tue 28/01/2025 21:40:06Wow, that was really something!
An excellent game. I'll write a proper review in the database but I'll just spill my thoughts directly after finishing the game in spoilers now:

--

I haven't played such a long game in quite a while and I'm glad I did. It was worth every minute.

Thank you very much!

About the things you didn't like and the bug mentions:

Spoiler

"Sometimes the text was cut at unfortunate places in a sentence. I know that you have to split it somehow into chunks, but quite often it disturbed reading for me."

This is something I went back and forth on. I tried longer paragraphs, shorter paragraphs and then this. Maybe I should fix this in a one last update.

"It seems you decided to cut down the scope of the game later on. What was that with the super secure store house? The sauna? The corrupt politicians? The Levonets family?"

Most of the things you mentioned were just "added flavor" (maybe occasionally misleading), but the Levonets family -idea was supposed to be a small part of the story. I had to cut some ideas to get the game out.

"The final puzzle. I loved the idea of the mirror and how it reveals only parts of the room. So clever! But without the hint thread I wouldn't have even found the fuse box. I thought I have to check for a certain position where the pig is and then take the gun or walk to the door or similar."

Maybe a well placed pointer or a mention of the fuse box would be good.


"I basically solved the highway construction before I even knew why I was doing it."

Yes, this is possible. This story issue I'll chalk up to lack of experience on my part.



I got the photo from the pizza box twice (I think it happened when I revisited the house while the pastor had the photo to clean.
Thanks for the mention, I should check my "checks".


There is a small hotspot "Sally's cabin" on the map
Whoops! A remnant of older design.

In the final scene, they were walking over Sally as if it was nothing. Granted, they didn't really care for her, but a corpse is still not just a pattern on the carpet, they would have a hard time standing or walking there)
I laughed when I noticed this particular thing during my play testing.
There were some blocking ('cinematography' wise) issues with that room and I decided to cut my losses and leave it in.

As I said earlier, maybe one last patch is required.

[close]

Thanks for the criticism and bug reports!